Sunday 6th September, 2020
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| At my favourite spot by the Santa Pola lighthouse cliffs with amazing views of the island of Tabarca |
Good morning all. How are you doing?
Life is good, I can't complain except of course for Covid which continues to infect and kill people and disrupt our lives in so many ways. Today the numbers have again gone up and the total amount of people infected worldwide is over 27 million with a death toll of 883.780. Cases are rising dramatically in Spain but either this virus is not as lethal as before or is mostly affecting young people because the death toll is very low and there are very few in intensive care. That could well be because hospitals are better prepared and don't have to do triage, because they now know how to deal with the virus better and most importantly because older people are shielded. In any case coronavirus remains the main topic of the day when it comes to news. Other news is about demonstrations in the US related to the Black Lives matter campaign, the protests in Belarus and of course here and elsewhere the saga of the Argentinian striker Messi. He had threatened to leave Barcelona but in the end is staying. His story leaves me cold.
I wasn't thinking of Covid or any of this though that morning when I got up early to write my blog and to pack for Santa Pola. Meanwhile our lovely guests were getting ready to leave. Marina and Cristina have 5 massage parlours in Madrid called "Templo de Masaje" and had asked me if they could use the house, pool and garden to take some photos to be used for promoting their services. Of course I gave them permission. I didn't think more about it and got on with packing and it was only when Eladio came down the stairs with our suitcases and said "I wouldn't mind being next" that I took a look and saw Cristina massaging her sister Laura in our lounge. Our very own massage parlour I thought. How wonderful. If only I could have been on the table rather than Laura hahahhaha. They have promised me a free session in their Pozuelo salon so I hope I can take them up on the offer. I love massages don't you?
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| Massage parlour in our own home hahahaha. |
They took more photos for their website and I especially like this one taken by the pool.
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| A massage going on by our pool! |
Our guests were sorry their stay was over and we were sorry to say goodbye. I got the feeling they were the sort of people we could be friends with. One of the best things about being an Airbnb host is making new friends. Our next guests would be from Poland, France and Italy. Finally some international guests. Their stay was related to the local UEM University. It's good to see more bookings for people coming to the University. When I first thought of being an Airnbn host my main target was the UEM.
Finally we left the house at around 11.15 saying goodbye also to Suzy, my Father and Lucy. We had packed a picnic for lunch which we had at a god forsaken place, on the premises of a petrol station. It's funny there are few places to stop and have a picnic on the A3 road from Madrid to Valencia and Alicante. We arrived at our apartment at just past 16h to good weather but far cooler than the week before. As we parked we saw our neighbour, also called Lucy, the one who takes care of the apartment and our guests here. She was bringing back the laundry from the Brazilian guests who had left that morning. She told us there had been a tremendous storm that night and that neither the lift nor the TV was working in any of the apartments. Thus we had to drag everything up 2 flights of stairs. I was wondering how clean the apartment would be. I knew the guests were pleased with Lucy's work but I was yet to see it for myself. I was blown over when I saw just how impeccable it looked with plants and many little welcoming details all over the place. It looked so good I felt like a guest myself. We have had the apartment since 1999, the year my mother died, and this is the first time we have a cleaner. What a difference that makes and it's money well spent. It means we don't have to clean when we come and when we go or worry about the laundry. It was good to see the new fridge too. All I had to do was unpack and put the food and our clothes away.
I then went on to the terrace to admire the view which I never tire of. When I see the Bay of Alicante from here, I know I am home.
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| The view of the Bay of Alicante from our apartment |
When everything was unpacked, we both sat on our terrace reading until it was time for dinner. We had before dinner drinks and pistachios together. Eladio took the photo below of me feeling content and relaxed. The cold Albariño white wine helped.
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On our terrace last Sunday with a glass of wine, happy to be back. |
After a simple dinner of tuna fish salad, I took Pippa down to do her business and I rang both girls. They had spent the day together. It was late by then and Oli was putting Elliot to bed. I hoped she would sleep well as the next day she would be starting her new job with the upcoming programme "La hora de la 1" on TVE. Suzy was busy on the phone to someone but was happy to chat for a second to tell me she'd had a good day. That's all I wanted to hear; that she had had a good day.
I had forgotten to bring the Amazon fire stick and in any case the TV didn't work. But no worries as I had brought with me my trusted giant iPad and we were able to watch the news and a film afterwards. Pappilon was on but it wasn't the Steve McQueen version but a new version made in 2017. That story has always fascinated me and I watched it until the end. I found it difficult to sleep that night for whatever reason but must have got a few hours in when I woke up to see it was 6.30 in the morning.
Monday was a lovely quiet day for us. For Olivia, our younger daughter, it saw her start work with the new programme. It's a morning programme that will start on 7th September and will broadcast from 08 to 13h, basically the whole morning. It is the national broadcaster, TVE's most important new programme in a long time and replaces two other programmes "Los desayunos de TVE" and "La Manaña de la 1" all in one. In a way it's going back to where she came from as she worked for the latter for 5 or so years. She was a reporter before and now will be one of the co presenters, her focus being on "sociedad" (society) or rather the main news of the day. Of course that will include coronavirus. She had no idea what to expect that morning and was very surprised when she was told she had to go to makeup, etc at 2.30 (missing her lunch). She was told she was to be part of the promotional clip. Wow! she couldn't believe she would be there with the other star figures of the programme. The main presenter is Mónica López, a well known face on TVE, a woman who was head of the weather for 20 years but will now head up a brand new programme which will include politics, general news, health, celebrities, weather, etc. Here is Oli popping her head into the brand new studio.
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| Oli popping her head into the new studio |
And here she is after being made up for the promotional clip. I told her she shouldn't have put her hands in her pockets, hahahahaha.
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| Oli all made up and ready to take part in the promotional clip of the new programme |
Meanwhile, we had a quiet day as I said above but very attentive to any news from Oli about her new role which was still a bit of a mystery to her. We went out shopping and on a few errands. One was to get a new dustbin to replace the one we had since we bought the apartment in 1999. Gosh that is 21 years ago, the year my mother died. I only wished she had lived to see it and of course all the other things she has missed. But I don't want to dwell on that. Our of interest I looked up the prices of houses in this area, specifically apartments similar to ours. I was amazed to see the market was very active and that they had gone up quite a lot in price. I put that down to coronavirus. It's not only the Brits or Germans buying this time, but now mostly Spaniards. I think it's Spaniards who feel a need for a bolt hole near the sea after the long confinement we all had to go through. We have new neighbours on our floor too, a retired Swedish couple who just bought the flat. One thing is for sure, we are not selling ours any time soon. We are going to continue enjoying it and now to exploit it on Airbnb.
The highlight of the morning was a cup of coffee together in the main square of Santa Pola with Pippa at our feet. I love our coffees at a bar somewhere when we are out on errands. We came home to put the food away, etc and I got on with lunch; a simple affair. In the afternoon, after our short siesta, we went down to the beach. The temperature was just how we like it; about 28c. We installed ourselves near the water and observed the waves which looked like fun and nothing like what we saw in Nazaré. I was dying for our first swim and I got it. As we waded in across the waves and into the water both of us said that this is a beach like few others, one where the sand is golden, easy to walk on, not too crowded, no buildings around and water at the perfect temperature. Of course this is The Mediterranean and that's why the water is not so cold nor the waves so brave. This is what the beach looked like on the last day of August this year.
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| Our beach on Monday afternoon - spot Eladio |
We then went for a walk to the far end and back and noticed how everyone was social distancing just as they should. We came back to sit on our beach chairs and read a little before heading home as by that time it was 8 pm. I love the fact that it is still sunny at that time. I was taking photos of Eladio on the beach when a young man sitting near us (not too near), offered to take one of us both. I thanked him as we don't often get photos of the two of us together. Here we are enjoying the last rays of sunshine on the beach that evening.
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| Eladio and I on the beach on Monday evening |
We left shortly afterwards and before heading home for a shower, I went to the swimming pool. I had it practically to myself. Then it was time to go home, shower and make dinner. After dinner we sat on our own terrace enjoying the quiet and feeling good after a relaxing day. I spoke to Oli who had lots to tell me about her first day with her new job. I didn't get through to Suzy. Ah and I also chatted on whatsapp with a new guest at home, a young Polish girl, Maja, who was staying with us. She had come to study at the University. Nearly all my bookings so far for September are University related. That is good.
Tuesday came and I must have slept well as I didn't wake up until nearly 8 am, something unheard of for me. Tuesday was the first day of September and sometimes considered the end of summer but summer certainly hasn't ended for us. We spent a very lazy day, hardly venturing out of the area. In the morning we decided to go down to the pool and read in the shade. There was hardly anyone there which is such a relief in these times but not a good indicator of how tourism is going in this country. In any case, Covid or no Covid, we are very lucky that this beautiful communal pool is never ever overcrowded. We sat on the grass with lovely views of the sea. Here is Eladio posing for a photo.
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| Eladio relaxing by the pool on Tuesday morning |
I felt so relaxed I actually had to lie down on my towel to sleep for a while. Eladio woke me up to go and have a coffee but it was 1.15 by then so too late for "elevenses". Instead we went back up to our apartment to make lunch.
I spent time on our terrace after a short siesta. It was a cloudy afternoon for a change. We decided on a walk to the lighthouse cliffs instead of going down to the beach. That's a one hour walk, there and back, with the inconvenience of wearing a mask. Oh how I hate them. I suppose they were worth it for the reward at the cliffs of that most marvelous view of the sea with the island of Tabarca which I never tire of. Here I am with Pippa and wearing my mask. I could have taken it off but I wanted a souvenir of these times for when, one day, maybe Elliot or his descendants read this.
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| With Pippa (and my mask on) and the Island of Tabarca in the background |
I did take the mask off for the photo I have chosen it as this week's feature photo - yet another photo of me with Pippa at the cliffs. I just never tire of this place and the views. There is something magical about it.
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| A close up of the island of Tabarca taken from the cliffs. Tabarca is the only inhabited island in the Valencia and Alicante region (Comunidad Valenciana). |
We sat for a while on the rocks admiring the view and then reluctantly got up to walk home and make our dinner. We then sat on our own terrace watching the news on my iPad. The news was all about the increase in the number of infected but I keep thinking, surely that has to be because they are doing so many tests? I hope that is the answer. Later I fell asleep reading in bed.
Wednesday came, another day alone in Santa Pola - such luxury. Who wasn't basking in luxury was Olivia, stressed out with the preparations for the new programme. From next Monday she will have to be at the studio at 6 am. In fact on Monday she will have to be there at 5 am and we will be looking after Elliot. Thankfully Miguel will be there from Tuesday onward to look after Elliot and take him to the TVE creche later on. He will be working permanently now in Madrid and at the same premises as Oli, Prado del Rey, where they have their own creche. This week however, it has been the turn of his parents, to look after their grandchild once Oli left for work at 8.30 or so. She sent us a photo of Elliot that morning which was great to see as we had been missing him.
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| Elliot on Wednesday morning before Oli left for work |
We will be looking after him today too, Sunday, as Oli and the new team will be doing a general rehearsal of the new programme which starts tomorrow.
Funnily enough rain was forecast that day but, despite a few clouds, the sky was blue and the sun was out so we decided to spend the morning on the beach just in case we couldn't go in the afternoon because of bad weather. Well, the forecast was wrong as it was warm and sunny all day. We loved our time on the beach which was very uncrowded. The sea was calm and I went in several times. Eladio only went in once. Here he is going in.
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| Eladio going into the sea on Wednesday morning. |
There were lots of clouds but they soon disappeared. We read on our kindles, enjoyed the sun and water and went on a walk to the end of the beach and back. That day we decided to have lunch out - I wanted a break from cooking. Our choice was "Soleluna", just across the road from our apartment. It used to be an ice cream parlour but is now a quaisi Italian restaurant. We had heard great reviews and wanted to try it out. It did not disappoint. Eladio went for their risotto while I chose their house pizza with truffle, mushrooms and ham. Oh I do love truffle, don't you?
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| Spectacular pizza at Soleluna |
Boy, was it delicious. I think it's one of the best pizzas I've ever had, including pizzas I've eaten in Italy. We told our waiter to congratulate the chef. Their menu is pretty good except for desserts. They only had cheesecake and tiramisu and NO ice cream. So we had our own dessert when we got home.
Feeling very full, we had a siesta. Mine was short as some urgent work came up which kept me busy till late. With work out of the way I joined Eladio on the terrace. My reading was interrupted by a new Airbnb reservation at our home in Madrid for September. As I said my September bookings are all related to the local University; mostly parents coming from abroad to bring their offspring who will be studying there.
Of course Pippa was with us on the terrace. The poor thing hardly left the house as dogs are not allowed at the pool, beach or at restaurants. She doesn't seem to mind though and just enjoyed being with us. I caught her on camera with Eladio and had to snap away. They are two of the greatest loves of my life, hahahahaha.
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| Eladio and Pippa on our terrace at the apartment on Wednesday |
It was around that time that Olivia sent a link to the family Whatsapp group of the TV clip promoting the new programme. We were delighted to see her in it along with the main presenter and the other co presenters. She said she felt dizzy with the responsibility her new job entails as well as because of the visibility. TVE would be showing the clip non stop from that day until the start of the new programme tomorrow.
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| The promotional clip - Oli in blue far right. |
You can see the clip here on Twitter. We felt so so proud of our younger daughter. This is definitely a step up in her career and she will become a familiar face on TV now, appearing live every day. She will have to work really hard but that doesn't scare her. Whatever her worries, I know she will do a great job. Well done darling.
I celebrated with a large glass of cold white Albariño wine. We were not hungry so hardly had anything for dinner. We watched the news which was depressing and later went to read in bed until we fell asleep.
I was awake at 7 am on Thursday morning and was excited it was market day here. I love the local market but this time it was a bit of a disappointment. There were very few stalls, most of them selling the usual rubbish. So we just got some fruit and veg. We noticed that since Covid the prices have gone up enormously. Here is Eladio with our purchases which we would be taking back to Madrid at Suzy's request.
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| Eladio with our purchases at the local market on Thursday |
I had a lot of work to do that morning and afternoon so apart from our excursion to the market we stayed in the apartment. I continued working in the afternoon and when I had done all that was necessary it was a bit too late to go down to the beach. I also wanted to spend time preparing a bit for next week's exams. Yes, my friends, I have exams next week. They are part of the process to get Spanish nationality. One exam is on general knowledge about Spain and Spanish life - some questions are easy and some are difficult. I used the app provided by the Instituto Cervantes and saw that I could easily pass. It was the tests for the Dele A2 language test that frustrated me. Although I am practically bilingual and have a degree in Spanish the exams are awful and seem more like memory tests. The worst parts are listening to or reading very long texts and then answering questions. Some of the audios are 3 minutes long and no way can my memory retain all the information. I did nearly all the audio and written tests and think I more or less passed but in some cases, only just. I felt cross while preparing for the language exam. I was having to prepare for these silly and badly thought out exams just because of Brexit. Next week I have exams on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and will let you know how I get on. Only if I pass them can the process for becoming Spanish continue. All I really want is a European passport which is why I am applying for Spanish nationality. The irony of it is that when I got married to Eladio in 1983 I would automatically have been given it but things have changed and it's much more difficult now, whether you are married to a Spaniard or not. I wonder how people whose knowledge of the Spanish language is worse than mine get on. Not easy and very frustrating. After hours of practicing I ran out of battery on my phone. That was the perfect excuse to turn to reading instead of preparing for a stupid exam.
Our last dinner there was another simple affair. Later we went to bed and as there was no news on - Spain was playing Germany - we watched a well loved film, Exodus, on a new streaming platform I am trying out, "Filmin". I love that film and I loved the book which I read many many years ago. I tried to buy it for my kindle but it is not available. For once then, I ordered a physical copy.
Friday came and we were leaving that morning to go home. We had our last breakfast on the terrace - oh how I would miss that view. We laughed when Oli sent us a photo of little Elliot that morning. He will be starting nursery next week and my daughter tried a satchel on him which was far too big. No doubt he won't be using it and she just put it on for him for fun. However, he didn't find it funny. His face was a picture as you can see in the photo she sent us.
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| Elliot not happy with the great big satchel on his back |
As a friend on Facebook commented, he could fit into the satchel itself hahahaha. I have a feeling though that even if he doesn't like the satchel, he is going to love the nursery. He is quite a feisty boy though and I hope he doesn't hit the other kids, scratch or bite them. He has had very little contact with children or babies of his age so let's see how he reacts. Watch this space and you will find out.
For once too we didn't have to clean before leaving as we now have our neighbour Lucy to do that (what a luxury). So we only had to pack our clothes and food and leave. Just before we went I ran across the road to the British supermarket, Quicksave, to get some chocolates, biscuits and the all important packet of polos for my father. Our journey was event free with hardly any traffic. Again we had taken a picnic which we now seem to prefer as we can stop wherever we want and it's much faster than eating at a restaurant. The only drawback, at least on the A3, is that there is nowhere nice to stop so we opted for the car park of a petrol station which was quite clean and tidy I must say. We had the luxury of setting up our table and chairs under a big tree for shade and voilá here is Eladio about to devour our gazpacho and "butifarra" sausages followed by fruit salad.
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| Our picnic on the way home on Friday |
The car journey seemed shorter than usual - maybe because our lunch stop was shorter - and we were home just after 4 pm. By then our two French guests, mother and daughter (Marlene and Inma) had already arrived. Inma will be starting at the local University as many of our guests. Just as I got home I got another booking for last night, an Italian lady, her husband and child. Giulia has been writing to me on and off for months now and finally made a booking. I had a dreadful feeling she would be a high maintenance guest, not the sort I like. My experience is that those who ask endless questions and take ages to confirm a reservation usually turn out to be the worst type of guests. My hunch was wrong though as they are a delightful family.
It was great to see my Father again, Suzy of course and the dogs. As soon as I had unpacked I joined Suzy by the pool with my book. The pool was spotlessly clean as the swimming pool maintenance people had been that morning - they come on Monday and Friday mornings. Soon the French guests arrived and I had to use my haltering French, my school French, as neither of them wanted to speak Spanish or English. At least I can communicate and I was able to sort out their wifi problems and give them a personal welcome. Later they went out to dinner. Guests who only use the house to sleep are the best kind. Soon Oli was here with Elliot and we were all together again. We had a nice dinner al fresco and Suzy sang and played the ukelele afterwards which Elliot loved. He bops up and down as if he is dancing. It's so funny.
That night we finished Exodus. What a great film. It was made in 1960 and stars a very very young Paul Newman.
I was awake early on Saturday morning. I had more work to do before I faced the rest of the day as tomorrow, Monday I have some PR to do. I wanted it out of the way and ready for Monday so that I could relax this weekend, at least as much as I could. The only obstacle to my relaxation was having to go and do the damned food shopping (aarrgghh).
We managed a cup of coffee in between - always a luxury - and weren't back till 1 pm, just a short while before our Italian guests arrived. In under 10 minutes Lucy and I had put everything away and sort of cleared the decks. The girls had invited their friend Elenita and her new dog (Nana from a rescue centre) for lunch so my God was the house full - I counted 11 adults, 1 child, 1 baby, 4 dogs and 1 cat!!!!! I was worried my guests would think the house was too full but they all seemed quite happy. The kitchen was full to the brim of people and preparations. I had to occupy Elliot for a while and Oli took this delightful photo of me playing with him and little Nana in the background. It's one of the best.
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| Playing with Elliot - Nana in the background |
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| Elliot after knocking down the dogs' water bucket |
I left them to it and had a quiet lunch with Eladio and my father in our private dining room and even sneaked in a short siesta.
The afternoon was spent with the girls, Elliot and Eladio relaxing in the garden and entertaining him. My afternoon was nicely interrupted with a skype call with my best friends, Adele and Sandra who live in Orleans and Brussels respectively. The day finished with another lovely dinner al fresco.
Today is Sunday and we are on grandparent duty as Oli has just gone to TVE for the new programme rehearsal. We shall be taking him for a walk and let's see how the rest of the day pans out.
I am now at the end of my tales of the week. Next week, with my exams, will be challenging. Wish me luck.
Cheers till next Sunday everyone,
Masha
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